Love Affair With Planes Continues With Painting

People

May 28, 1986|By Deborah Wood, Staff Writer

William Harrison fell in love at the tender age of 19.

The romance sent him soaring, literally, through the skies of Europe. But it wasn`t a charming French or Italian maiden who captured his fancy. Instead, Harrison lost his heart to a fleet of World War II aircraft.

During the war, Harrison was a member of the 461st Bomb Group (H) that was part of the 15th Air Force in Italy.

Although he spent most of his service time on the ground as a mechanic, Harrison jumped at every opportunity to fly, including missions to supply troops in France with gasoline and ammunition.

``The first time up, I was scared to death because I had never been in an airplane before,`` Harrison recalled. ``But just like everything else, you get used to it and it didn`t take long until I discovered that I liked it.``

Now, about 40 years later, the Margate resident has rekindled the romance through paint and canvas. ``Warbird Illustrations,`` a collection of Harrison`s renditions of World War II aircraft in action, is on display at the Pompano Beach Library through May.

Done in acrylics, pen and ink and pencil, the works depict aircraft such as Warhawks, Flying Tigers and Hellcats in their heyday.

The largest painting in the collection is an acrylic of a group of B-24s dropping bombs over an industrial area. As oil tanks explode, black smoke is sent spiraling into the sky.

``It is very similar to an actual bombing scene. Part of it was taken from a photograph,`` Harrison said.

Harrison usually draws from memory and imagination when creating the background for an aircraft scene. But when it comes to recreating minute detail on a specific plane, he relies on reference books and photographs for accuracy.

Not only does Harrison keep his love affair alive through art, he also belongs to the Valiant Air Command, an organization of World War II aircraft buffs based in Titusville. The group puts on annual airshows featuring restored planes. He joined the organization five years ago, about the same time the warbirds became the subjects of his painting.

Harrison also is preparing for a display at Fort Lauderdale City Hall for National Aviation Week, marking naval aviation`s 75th anniversary, during the first week in November. Harrison will add several renditions of naval planes to his collection in honor of the anniversary.

Harrison believes his artwork helps to remind us of the role aviation has played in world history.

``That`s part of the whole thing, to keep alive the memory of that time and place, and what those aircraft did, and more importantly, what the men who flew them did,`` he said.